1. Field of the Invention
Cancer cells synthesize unusual and sometimes highly specific proteins and glycolipids that in many cases have been identified as fetal or embryonic macromolecules apparently produced in the cancer cell after either aberrant activation or failure to deactivate genes normally silent in differentiated cells. Some of these gene-products may influence the abnormal proliferative properties of the cancer cells. Sensitive methods are needed for identifying the unusual cellular compounds with high tumor specificity, because they may provide signals for early cancer detection and perhaps for advancing understanding of the transformation process.
In no area is this more needed than in the case of malignant lung neoplasms. Particularly, squamous cell carcinomas, which represent about 50-60% in males of malignant lung neoplasms have proven very difficult to treat, since at the time of diagnosis, the disease is normally no longer localized. It could therefore be extremely important in the treatment of the disease to have a means for early diagnosis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Olsson et al., Cancer (1984) 54:1757-1765 report monoclonal antibodies for lung carcinoma. Antisera and monoclonal antibodies with reactivity to human lung cancer cells have been described by Kelly and Levy, Br. J. Cancer (1977) 35:828-833; Cuttita et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1981) 78:4591-4595; Braatz et al., Cancer Res. (1982) 42:849-855; Mazauric et al., Cancer Res. (1982) 42:150-154; Varki et al., 44:2052-2061. A few antibodies have been reported to be specific for one of the subtypes of lung cancer: small cell lung cancer (Bell and Seetharam, Int. J. Cancer (1976) 18:605-611; and oat cell tumor (Bernal and Speak, Cancer Res. (1984) 44:265-270. See also, DeSchryver-Keckemetri et al., Lab. Invest. (1979) 41:432-436 and Veltri et al., Br. J. Cancer (1980) 41:705-715.
Several different tumor-associated antigens expressed by non-lung cancer cells have previously been described as glycoconjugants. See, Hakomori and Kannagi, J. Nat. Cancer Inst. (1983) 71:231-251; Feizi (1984), in Genes and Antigens in Cancer Cells--The Monoclonal Antibody Approach; Contributions to Oncology, Vol. 19, Reithmuller et al., eds. (Kager, Basel) pp. 51-63; Ginsburg et al., ibid., pp. 51-63; Dippold et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (1980) 77:6114-6118; Bumol and Reisfeld, ibid. (1982) 79:1245-1249; Hellstrom et al. in Genes and Antigens in Cancer Cells--The Monoclonal Anti-body Approach; Contributions to Oncology, Vol. 19, Reithmuller et al., eds. (Kager, Basel) pp. 121-131; and Atkinson et al., Cancer Res. (1982) 4820-4823.